A great-grandmother aged 94 is reported to have been rescued while attempting to cross the Channel into Kent .

The elderly woman - thought to be the oldest person to have risked the dangerous crossing - is said to have been on a boat intercepted off the county's coast.

National media outlets report she was attempting to reach the UK to be reunited with her family - who had already arrived - and is now in the care of social services.

It is not known how close to the Kent coast the small boat was when it was stopped, but those onboard were brought ashore at Dover .

The rescue comes amid a recent swell in the number of people attempting to cross the Channel into the UK.

Almost 5,000 migrants are said to have tried to enter the country by the route this year alone.

Only last week, the dangers of the crossing were tragically laid bare by the death of a man whose body washed up on a French beach .

Abdulfatah Hamdallah, 28, from Sudan, is said to have been attempting to reach Kent shores in an inflatable boat.

Read more: All the latest news from Dover